Redemption
by NickyNackyNoo
Summary: Having only recently watched the series I just couldn't bare how it ended. From Walter's POV this is my attempt at fixing Waige and the team.
1. Chapter 1

Walter slouched in his chair, staring blankly at the monitor screen, seeing in his mind's eye the victorious expression on Paige's face as she walked by him, triumphant. He supposed he deserved it, he'd been his usual arrogant, smug self, trying to show them he didn't need them, that he was fine on his own. He'd asked her to wait, for no real reason other than he didn't want her to go, but the doors had closed, and Walter was left feeling utterly defeated.

Before he'd met Paige, the whole situation would have been nothing more than an annoyance, noted and then filed away as just another encounter he didn't quite understand or care to. Now though, he was significantly more self-aware. It hurt, and he couldn't push the feelings aside anymore, no matter how hard he tried. She'd left him and taken everything he cared about with her, and it was all his own doing. The emotional flood gates were opening, and a lifetime of rejection and misunderstanding was threatening to overwhelm him. How could someone with 197 IQ have gotten things so terribly, terribly wrong. He missed her, missed them all, his family, his cyclone.

The garage door banged open and Walter quickly straightened up and began typing, swallowing past the lump in his throat.

"You okay kid?" asked Cabe.

"Yes. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Walter…" Cabe sighed

"Stop. Please." Walter stood and folded his arms across his chest defensively "I don't need another of your talks. Not today." He hung his head and stared at his shoes, tensed for further argument as Cabe studied him.

"Fine, not today. But I ain't dropping it Walt." Walter nodded and put his hands in his pockets still looking at his shoes. "You're welcome to join Allie and me for dinner, it'd be good for you, to get out a bit, have some laughs."

"Thank you Cabe." He said, managing a small smile, "I'm fine. Enjoy your evening."

Walter couldn't think of anything he would like less at this moment than sitting in a restaurant with Cabe and Allie, a couple who were clearly happy and in love. He just wanted to be alone. He sat down and began typing again until he heard the clang of the door once more.

He lay back in the chair and closed his eyes. This couldn't continue. Logically he knew he had to talk to them all, to apologise, explain, but when you didn't know how to communicate your feelings, when you didn't really understand them yourself, how could you lay yourself bare. The thought of doing so and being rejected again sent a shudder down his spine.

He climbed the stairs to his empty loft and stripped off to take a shower. He braced his palms against the wall and closed his eyes, letting the stream of hot water wash over him as he tried not to think. He was so tired. Who knew emotional turmoil could be so exhausting.

The room was filled with steam when he stepped out, he wiped his hand across the mirror and looked at the face of the broken man reflected there. He had nothing left save his pride and what good was that. He had nothing to be proud of anymore.

He dried himself off and padded barefoot to the bed where Paige's scent still lingered on the sheets; he hadn't been able to bring himself to wash them and remove the last trace of her. Laying down he inhaled deeply and let memories of nights spent with her curled against him fill his mind as he drifted off to sleep. He'd call her in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

_***Updated**_

Walter sat at the garage's kitchen table, coffee in hand, and perused his notes. It had been interesting writing everything down. _Cathartic_ Toby would call it. He wasn't sure he understood everything, but he saw a pattern in his behaviour that just weeks ago he would never have acknowledged. It was all about fear. Every time. He wrote the word down in large block capitals and picked up his phone. It was time to stop the cycle.

He hit the speed dial and waited. The phone rang and rang and then went to voicemail. He hung up. _Not good_ He hadn't factored that in, that she might not pick up. OK, he needed a plan B. If Paige wouldn't answer his call maybe he could get Ralph…

"Walter?" Paige's voice rang through the silence of the empty garage. Walter shot to his feet, heart pounding, and headed towards the front door. _She was here._

"Paige." He stopped a few feet in front of her "I just tried calling you." She looked as beautiful as ever, a little tired maybe, but still took his breath away.

"Yeah, I know, I was outside. Working up the courage to come in." she smiled nervously, her eyes darting around trying to find a safe place to land.

"Why?" Walter blurted.

"Cabe called me last night." She wrapped her arms around herself, clutching her elbows in a self-hug. "He was…upset with me. He said some things, things I didn't want to hear. Home truths I guess, it hurt." A tear slid from the corner of her eye and she quickly brushed it away. "He gave me a lot to think about."

"He shouldn't have done that, I'll speak to him, I would never have asked …" Paige held up her hand to silence him.

"I know Walter. I'm not here to blame you. Can we talk? Please." Walter's mouth went dry.

"Of course. Yes. Can I get you some coffee?" Walter gestured towards the kitchen.

"Sure, that would be nice." Paige sat down and Walter poured her drink, his eyes darting to the yellow pad he'd left on the table in front of her, filled with his behavioural notes.

"Here you go." He took a seat and placed the mug in front of her, sliding the pad away and turning it over, but too late.

"Fear?" she asked puzzled.

"I've been doing some thinking of my own." He smiled, meeting her gaze briefly whilst toying with the handle of his mug. "It was…insightful."

"Walter, I…"

"Paige, I…Sorry, you go." Walter yielded, his mouth twisting wryly as they both tried to speak.

"I want you to know that I'm sorry Walter, for all the things I said to you that day. I wish…I wish that I could take it all back, everything."

Walter leaned forward, a frown forming as he searched for the words he needed, and hope stirred in his chest. "I'm sorry too. That's why I was calling. Paige, I… I think… Yesterday…When you…" He stopped, scrubbed a hand over his face and blew out a long breath. "I'm sorry. This is all new for me, I'm not used to articulating myself this way, but I think… I think we both acted out of fear that day." He paused, studying her face trying to gauge her reaction. "You accused me of acting like a juvenile and you were right, but I don't want to be that frightened little boy anymore. I shouldn't have lied to you but please believe me when I say that nothing happened between Florence and me, not then, not now, not ever. I'm sorry that I made you doubt me. I love you."

"Oh Walter." Paige choked, swiping at the tears that were starting to flow. "I was so angry with you, but the way I've behaved…I'm so ashamed. I wanted to hurt you."

"You did." Walter said softly. "But I understand, it's OK." He shrugged, staring at the table.

"No. It's not. We've both got issues, both made mistakes, but I should never have told you to lie to me, it's my fault we're in this mess, not yours. Do you think…can we fix it? Can you forgive me?"

Walter reached for her and pulled her into his lap. He brushed the hair from her face and wiped away her tears. "I already have Paige. I don't function properly without you, not anymore. I'm willing to try if you are?"

Paige buried her face in his neck "I love you Walter."

They sat like that for a while, Walter for the first time in weeks, felt almost at peace, until Paige started laughing.

He frowned "What is funny about this?"

Paige pulled back to look at his confused face. "I'm sorry, it's just, who would have thought Walter O'Brien could be so emotional." She lay her head back down on his shoulder and snuggled close to him.

"Well I am a genius; it was inevitable that my EQ would start to catch up eventually."


	3. Chapter 3

**_Many thanks to everyone who has left a review, keeps me motivated to finish this little story off. There are a few more short chapters to go so I hope you keep with me :)  
_**

Lying on the bed next to Paige, their fingers laced and bodies touching, Walter thought it had been a most unusual morning, he couldn't remember the last time he had been this lazy. The most strenuous activity so far had been climbing the stairs.

They'd talked. A lot. And touched. There had been constant touching, neither of them wanting to break their fragile new connection. That had helped with the talking. When shame or guilt made eye contact hard, a simple touch from the person you loved made everything just seem _less. _

But it hadn't all been about him, Paige hadn't lied when she'd said they both had baggage. He knew that his trigger was fear of rejection, now he knew that hers was fear of abandonment. Her mother, Drew, even Tim, they'd all taken their toll. He'd shut down completely towards everyone save Megan, and to a certain extent Cabe, because he'd been misunderstood, but Paige was still warm and kind even after all life had thrown at her. He had a newfound respect for her resilience. The things she'd done to make sure Ralph was safe and cared for, loved.

Walter was beginning to find his new EQ insights quite fascinating. Things had gone so much better than he could have hoped for with Paige, all he had to do now was reconcile with the rest of the team.

He rolled onto his side, propping his head up on his free hand. "Paige…what time do you need to get home for Ralph?"

"I don't." she said, shifting to mirror his pose "Ralph is with Drew for the weekend, I've got nowhere to be but here."

Walter looked down at their joined hands and toyed with her fingers.

"Will you help me talk to the others?" He raised his eyes to hers, his expression earnest. "I don't know how we move forward but I need to try and set things right with them too."

"It'll be OK Walter, we'll fix it, I'll do whatever I can." She sat up, tucking her legs beneath her. "But Walter…Centipede or Scorpion, I can't make that decision for them, they'll have to want to come back."

Walter sat up too, leaning back against the headboard. "I understand." He swallowed. "Do…do you want to come back?" He raised a knee and picked at an imagined piece of fluff on his jeans as he waited for her answer, casting furtive glances at her from beneath his lashes.

Paige waited until he fully met her gaze. "Yes. Do you want me to come back?"

"Yes." He said, with absolute certainty. "I do."

"Well OK then. Who do you want to start with?"

If he tried to talk to all of them together, he felt sure it would deteriorate into an argument within minutes. "Toby?" It was the logical choice, Toby was the one who would most easily understand, because he already did. All Walter needed to do was tell him he was right and accept his crowing with good grace. It would be hell and Toby would love every moment of his suffering.

"Toby it is, I'll call him now." Paige clambered off the bed and snagged her phone from her purse. Not wanting to eavesdrop, Walter went downstairs to see if there was any coffee left. He poured the last of it into a mug and leant back against the counter as words drifted down to him.

"not fair Toby…we have…none of your business...understand…he knows…mean a lot…OK…Toby…Toby…Toby!...Thank you."

Walter headed back up to the loft. "Well, that sounded like it went as expected."

Paige turned with a grimace. "He…expressed opinions, it's Toby, but he's agreed to meet with you in an hour, to talk about things. It'll be fine."

Walter put his arm around her and kissed her forehead "Thank you Paige."

"You're welcome." Paige laid her head on his shoulder. "I love you Walter."

He looked down at her, smiling. "Reciprocated"


	4. Chapter 4

_***Updated**_

Walter fidgeted nervously in the diner booth and felt Paige put her hand on his thigh, squeezing gently to stop it's incessant bouncing. "Relax Walter, it's going to be OK."

He clasped his hands together on the table and nodded, giving her a tight smile. He would have preferred to have had this meeting in private at the garage or even Toby and Happy's apartment, but Toby wanted neutral ground. Public neutral ground. As if it wasn't going to be hard enough, he would now have an audience, circumspect Toby was not.

"Well would you look at this, mom and dad are back together, ain't it sweet." Toby's acerbic tone filled the air as he slid into the opposite side of the booth. "Walter. Paige."

"Toby." They said in unison.

"So…here I am." He spread his arms wide. "Ready and waiting, on the edge of my seat, both literally and figuratively, so let's hear it. Spill." Walter looked at Paige and reached beneath the table for her hand, seeking support. "Interesting." Toby murmured, he missed nothing. Walter ignored him, it was now or never. All he had to do was bare his soul, tell his deepest, darkest fears in this very public place and everything would be OK. He swallowed.

"I've had a lot of time to think these last couple of weeks…"

"I bet you have." Toby muttered.

"Toby!" Paige glared at him until he held up his hands in mock surrender.

"My apologies, Walter, please continue."

Walter cleared his throat and looked to Paige again for encouragement. "I should have listened to you Toby. You were right." They sat in silence for a moment.

"And?" Toby said sharply. "Seriously. That's it? You drag me down here to "talk" and that's all I get? Geez! I know I was right, genius behaviourist right here. The question is, do you know why you were wrong?" Toby waited, watching every tick.

Walter opened his mouth and closed it again, there was just so much he wanted to say. Coming to a decision, he reached into his jacket and retrieved the folded bundle of yellow pages he'd brought, just in case, and slid them across the table to Toby "Yes." He said softly and drew back his hand.

"What is this? You offering us a bigger slice of the pie? Cos I gotta tell ya, that ship has sailed my friend." Toby unfolded the paper and began to read. He looked at Walter. He read some more. He went back to the beginning and read it all again. When he'd finally finished, he carefully folded the pages again and handed them back. "I'm impressed Walter. That right there, that is some seriously jaw dropping self-analysis. I knew you had it in you, just maybe not for another decade or two." He looked at Paige. "Have you read it?" he asked curiously, Paige shook her head. He looked at Walter's bowed head as he nervously waited judgement. "Walter, I'm proud of you pal, that took real guts." Toby said quietly.

Walter nodded in silent acknowledgement and squeezed Paige's hand. It was going to be OK.

"I should have tried harder, cut you off at the pass so to speak. Before…kaboom. I fully acknowledge that we have all behaved like spiteful, rebellious kids, and for my part I'm sorry." He smiled, genuinely at Walter. "But I gotta say, it may have been a blessing in disguise. For you I mean, not us. For us it was, like, man, complete carnage."

"Toby!" Paige kicked him under the table.

"Ow! What? Too soon?" He rubbed his leg. "Happy, get your butt in here." He pointed to his ear. "She's been on comms the whole time." He shrugged apologetically. "And here she is now, my little glowering ray of sunshine."

"Can it, jackass. Walt, Paige." Happy nodded at them and slid in next to Toby. "So, you guys are good now?"

"We are. We're trying to be." He and Happy stared at one another.

"Try hard Walt, Paige is good for you, and that's good for all of us."

"Understood." Walter let out a sigh of relief.

"So…what happens next?" Happy looked from Walter to Paige. "What happens to Centipede?"

"That's up to you, I will respect whatever decision you make but…I would like it very much if you came back to Scorpion."

"Things would have to change Walt, we'd need more of a say, and Sylvester would have to agree too."

Walter nodded, he'd already given this quite a bit of thought "If you're prepared to consider it, coming back, I found an attorney who can help us sort through the profit sharing and intellectual property stuff. We'd do it all properly."

Happy and Toby looked at each other in silent conversation, Toby raised an eyebrow giving Happy the final decision.

"OK then. Let's order, I'm starving." She looked down at the menu. "And Walt? I'm sorry too."

She glanced up briefly and Walter smiled wide; it really was going to be OK. He put his arm around Paige and kissed her. "Do they have fermented fish here?"


	5. Chapter 5

Walter held open the garage door for Paige and followed her inside, looking around as usual to see who was in, but, of course, nobody was there. Tossing his phone and keys onto his desk, he sat down and turned on his computer to check his email. Paige stood patiently a few feet away and waited. Walter glanced up. "Sorry. Habit." He looked back at the monitor and started scrolling.

"It's fine Walter." She smiled. "I'm going to head home…"

Walter's head snapped around "What? No."

"Walter…" Paige tried again.

He jerked to his feet "Don't go." His hands curled into fists as panic began to rise, he'd screwed up already. "Stay. I don't need to work; we can do…"

"Walter stop. Let me finish." She crossed the distance between them and ran her hands up his tense arms to encircle his neck. "I'm going to head home and pick my things, I'll need a change of clothes if I'm going to stay the night."

"Oh, I see." Walter replied with a sheepish look, then frowned bowing his head.

"Unless you don't want me to stay over?" Paige ducked to look up into his face. "Do you want me to stay?"

Walter put his arms around her, linking his fingers at the small of her back. "Yes. I would like that very much, it's just…" he sighed, he wasn't ready for this conversation, not yet.

"What, what is it?" Paige stroked his neck, tangling her fingers through the curls at its base.

It felt nice, soothing. Walter closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers and enjoying the sensation of her touch for a moment. "It's not important." He said drawing back. "Can we can talk about it later?"

Paige's expression seemed unconvinced as she searched his face. "Only if you promise that we will."

Walter gave her a small smile and nodded. "I promise."

"Alright. I'll come back around 7pm, give you a few hours to get your geek on. Shall I bring take out with me?" She dropped her arms and began to turn but Walter caught her hand and held her back.

"How about we go out to dinner instead? Maybe a little dancing too?" There was no time like the present to start making an effort.

"Are you sure you'd enjoy that Walter? You don't have to do it for me, I'd be just as happy being here with you. We have to learn to compromise."

Walter caressed the side of her face and kissed her softly. "It's not for you, it's for us. We'll have dinner, we'll dance. You can enjoy the music and I can enjoy holding you and being the envy of every man in the room." He kissed her softly again. "I'd say that was a happy compromise."

"Walter, you amaze me." The kiss she gave him then left him breathless and trembling when it ended. He guessed he'd said the right thing. "I'll see you later."

He dropped heavily into his chair. "OK." A dopey grin spread across his face. That had been…impressive.

He blinked a few times and cleared his throat. "Focus Walter." He muttered to himself, picking up his phone and setting an alarm. He had some coding he wanted to do but couldn't afford to lose track of time, not today. He pulled up the file he needed, this was the world he understood, clear, ordered, dispassionate. The emotional tension of the day began to drain away as his fingers flew across the keyboard, lost in the familiar, safe world of programming.

When his phone began beeping, he couldn't believe two hours had passed already. Paige would be here soon, and he still had to shower, change and get a reservation somewhere for dinner. Five minutes later, after saving his progress and doing a quick internet search, the reservation was set. He stood, stretching sore shoulder muscles, and with a spring in his step, headed upstairs to get ready, thoroughly pleased with himself.

At 7pm he was feeling slightly less jaunty as he waited anxiously in the garage for her to arrive. Dressed in a dark suit, shirt and tie he felt like he should have a corsage or something to give her, not that he'd ever been to prom. He adjusted his tie again as the door opened. She was wearing a dress. It was grey. Maybe blue. He didn't care, she looked beautiful.

"Hi." She smiled.

The power of speech appeared to be momentarily beyond him. He blushed, _blushed, _and could only stare. He gave himself a mental shake. "You look…nice."

"Thank you, Walter, you look very nice too."

He cleared his throat self-consciously. "Shall we?" he asked, scooting past her to open the door.

They pulled up outside the restaurant and Walter handed the keys to the valet.

"Wow Walter." She looked impressed as he helped her out of the car. "I'm guessing I don't want to know how you managed to get us in here?"

"Probably best not to speculate." Walter agreed tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow.

Once seated at their table, a smartly dressed waiter appeared to take their drinks order and leave them with menus. When he reappeared with Paige's wine and water for Walter, they'd spoken not a word. Walter leaned across the table "Paige, this is very awkward, why aren't we talking?" he queried quietly.

Paige took a gulp of her drink. "Well…" She took another sip. "I guess, I guess we're both a little scared to say the wrong thing. Maybe we've put too much pressure on ourselves going on a date."

Walter thought that sounded plausible. "We can go home if you'd prefer?" he suggested.

"No, it'll be fine. The restaurant is beautiful, the food looks amazing, let's just…relax."

"OK." He was unsure how to do that, but he had an idea. He stood up, earning the interested glances of several diners, and moved his chair so that he was sitting alongside her. The waiter appeared out of thin air and re-adjusted the table setting for them, smiling conspiratorially. When he'd gone Walter laced his fingers with hers and held her hand on his knee. Touching had seemed to help earlier today, he figured it was worth a shot now. "Better?" he asked.

"Much." They smiled shyly at each other and started perusing the menu.

Now, holding her close, swaying cheek to cheek on the dance floor to a song he didn't know, Walter thought the evening had gone remarkably well. The food had been more than adequate, not a piece of parsley in sight, and the conversation had been astonishingly uncomplicated. They'd talked about his early days with the rest of the team, how much Ralph had flourished in the last few years, about Cabe and Allie, nothing contentious. Surprisingly, he'd enjoyed himself. "Paige?"

"Hmmm?" She murmured in his ear.

"I've had a nice time tonight."

"Me too Walter." She pulled back to look at him, a smile in her eyes. "It's been wonderful." She kissed him gently as the music died. "Shall we go home?"

He brushed back her hair and let his arm drop to take her hand. "Yes."

The car ride back was spent in companionable silence, just soft chords of music from the radio that Paige occasionally hummed along to. Looking over at her, Walter felt…happy. He pulled up in front of the garage, the headlights swerved across the door and there was Florence.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Paige hissed.

"Ohhh, not good."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thanks for the continued support :)**_

This could not be happening to him, not again. He gripped the wheel, his knuckles turning white as he fought the rising panic in his chest.

"Paige, please remain calm, I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation…"

Paige's eyes narrowed. "Really? What could she possibly need you for this late?"

"We often work much later than this." The words were out before he could stop them.

"Is that so? How romantic." She spat. He could feel her anger, palpable in the confines of the car.

"You're being irrational Paige, I'm sure Florence…" He tried to reason with her again.

"Irrational? Are you kidding me? She's in love with you!"

He could feel it all slipping away again, it wasn't fair. "So what!" he shouted, angry now too. "I'm in love with _you_! Doesn't that count?" She visibly deflated at his outburst and his brief spurt of fury fizzled away. He put the heels of his hands to his eyes and groaned. When he looked up, Florence was nowhere to be seen. "She's gone." He looked at her fearfully. "Are you going to come in?"

Paige nodded. "Can you get my bag?" she asked in a small voice.

"Sure." He opened the door and stepped out wearily. He lifted her bag out of the trunk and followed her inside. They climbed the stairs in silence, Walter put the bag on the table and took off his jacket, draping it over the back of a chair. Loosening his tie, he went to get a glass of water as Paige headed into the bathroom. How had it all changed so quickly? They couldn't keep doing this, it was insane. He braced his hands on the counter and hung his head over the sink, eyes closed, lost in thought.

He felt her arms slide around him, and her cheek press against his back. "I'm sorry Walter." She whispered. "I shouldn't have let my insecurities get the better of me. It's just…she gives you something I can't." He could feel her silent tears through his shirt.

He turned around and her arms fell away, he put is hands in his pockets and looked at the ground as he considered his words carefully. "Paige, you have many friends who offer you things I can't, and probably never will. It's a simple fact." He looked up at her, a wry smile twisting his lips. "I will never be quite like you, and that's OK." He paused. "I like Florence. She's intelligent, kind, a good friend. But that's all she is, all she will ever be." Paige reached for his hand and he studied their entwined fingers, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Until I met you, I believed love was a fleeting chemical reaction in the brain. There is nobody_…nobody, _who can give me what you can."

Her arms went around his waist and he pulled her close, holding her tight against his chest. "I love you." She whispered, her heart in her eye as she pulled his face down for a kiss. It was brief, chaste almost, but when they broke apart the world ignited. They surged together; hands frantic as they tore at each other's clothes. Buttons popped and shoes flew as they staggered towards the bed. He must have said the right thing again he supposed, as they collapsed together breathless, and any more thought became impossible.

Walter slung a towel around his waist and padded barefoot out of the bathroom rubbing dry his hair. He put on a pot of coffee, and, moving as quietly as he could so as not to wake Paige, he crept into the bedroom. Tossing the wet towel into the laundry hamper he opened the dresser and took out a pair of trunks, stepping into them he turned as pulled them over his hips, only to find Paige watching him from the bed, a mischievous look in her eye.

"Hi." She smiled.

"Hi." She held her hand out to him and he took it, letting her pull him down to the bed beside her for a kiss. "I thought you were still sleeping; I didn't want to wake you."

"That's OK, I enjoyed the view." Paige laughed softly. "How do you feel this morning? Yesterday was pretty intense."

Walter cleared his throat self-consciously and lent forward, resting his arms on his legs and lacing his fingers together. "Fine…you?"

"I feel amazing but are you sure you're OK? You seem tense, are you…are you having second thoughts?"

"What? No! No. Definitely not."

"Then what is it?"

"It's nothing." He'd promised her yesterday they'd talk about it later though and he didn't want to go back on his word. "It's just…"

Paige pushed herself up, tucking the sheets around her. "What Walter? Please just tell me."

He dropped his head and closed his eyes, swallowing. "Do I satisfy you Paige? Only you said you were sick of trying to convince yourself that I did, and it occurred to me that you might mean in bed." There, he'd said it.

She put her hands on his burning cheeks and forced his face around until she could look at him. "Walter, no. Never. I was talking about my emotional needs not physical. That's one area we never had any trouble with, which honestly, is more astounding than if we had." She hugged him tight.

"Well I did do a huge amount of research."

Paige pulled back; her face a picture of astonishment. "Excuse me?"

"Books!" Walter said, eyes wide as he realised the implication of his words. "I read a lot of books. In my youth." He coughed.

"Oh Walter, you are full of surprises." She laughed. She pulled him down to her and spent the next hour proving, repeatedly, how satisfied he made her.


	7. Chapter 7

Walter was feeling positively buoyant as he washed and put away their breakfast dishes. He dressed quickly and ran downstairs to grab his laptop as Paige sang in the shower. He felt renewed, invigorated, and wanted to make the most of it to finish the programme he was working on. Paige emerged from the bathroom fresh faced, wearing one of Walter's t-shirts, her hair wrapped in a towel.

She walked past him to get herself some coffee and Walter swallowed as she reached for a cup, the shirt riding up high against her thighs. It had been much easier to concentrate when he'd repressed all emotion and was completely oblivious, he thought. He tried not to look at her.

"Do you mind?" He asked, nodding at the laptop. "It shouldn't take me too long."

"Of course not Walter. Can I do anything to help?" She sipped her coffee unaware of his discomfort.

"Um, no, it's ah, I'm fine. Thank you though."

"OK. I'm going to get dressed." She trailed her hand along his shoulders in a casual caress as she headed past him to the bedroom.

With a mental shake Walter plugged in the flash drive and set to work. After 47 minutes he was finished and had emailed the client to let them know he was done ahead of schedule. He closed down the computer and stood, stretching.

"All done?" Paige asked from the couch

He'd been aware of her presence as she moved around the loft, but it hadn't been an issue, and it was a relief for him to know, for sure, that he could still focus, not be distracted by her; providing, of course, that she was wearing adequate clothing.

"Yes, I…." The front door opened downstairs, interrupting him. He shot Paige a quick glance. "Did I lock the door last night?" He _had_ been distracted, maybe he'd overlooked it.

"I think so." Paige shrugged, unperturbed as she flipped through a magazine. "Go see."

"It's probably just Cabe." he headed around the table. "Cabe?" he called, leaning over the upper railing to look down into the garage. Florence raised her hand in a silent hello. Walter bolted upright and stared ahead in horror. _No, no, no, no, no. _This was a never-ending nightmare. Why couldn't they just catch a break?!

"Is it?" Paige asked looking up, curious.

"It's…No." The panic he felt must have been self-evident, he watched as realisation dawned on her.

"Ah. Florence." She stated calmly.

"Paige…" he began, his voice strangled with desperation.

"It's OK Walter. Go and talk to her." She smiled tenderly. "I trust you."

He looked at her for a long moment, torn, but he had to trust her too, that she meant it. He nodded. "Thank you."

He headed downstairs and found Florence waiting patiently near his desk; hands clasped in front of her.

"Hello Walter. I hope I'm not interrupting." She glanced up at the loft.

"No, it's fine. I actually just finished up the Silverman security programme."

"Oh, excellent, is Paige not here then?"

"Yes. She's upstairs, did you want to speak with her?" He really hoped not. "I can ask her to come down."

"No, I was just curious. Last night, I couldn't help but notice the two of you seemed to be having some sort of argument. I just wanted to make sure you were alright, but I can see that you are, so… I'll just be going."

"Florence, wait. Please. I want you to know. I have appreciated your help recently, very much, it's been invaluable..."

"But you and Paige are back together and you'd rather my presence didn't put additional pressure on the situation. I completely understand." Walter gaped at her, unsure what to say. "I theorised as much when I saw you together last night."

"I see."

"I'm happy for you both, truly, I hope that things work out."

"Thank you, Florence. I appreciate the sentiment."

"Walter…" She seemed unsettled for the first time. "I never intended to cause you any trouble, none of you." They'd never discussed her declaration and Walter was now feeling a niggling sense of guilt that he may have misled her somehow.

"You weren't at fault Florence, please don't distress yourself."

"I hope…well I hope that we might still remain friends?"

"I would like that also."

"Good. Well…I guess I should give this back to you." She placed her key to the garage on his desk. "Goodbye Walter." She gave him a tight smile and left. Just like that. Dealing with someone so unemotional certainly had its advantages. He climbed the stairs again.

"How'd it go?" Paige asked, with feigned disinterest.

"Smoothly." He sat down beside her on the couch and picked up her hand. "She wished us luck and gave me back her key."

"You didn't have to ask her leave Walter; I would have adjusted…eventually."

"I didn't. She concluded it was the best possible solution for what could be a volatile situation. I elected not to dissuade her."

"Oh. Well…that's good, I guess."

"We did agree to remain friends though." He turned his head to her. "Is that OK?"

"Walter…you don't need my permission. As long as you're honest with me, as long as you communicate with me, everything will be fine. That goes for me too. If I don't like something, if I feel insecure, I'll tell you."

"Understood." That _sounded _relatively simple, it probably wouldn't be.

Paige checked her watch. "I have to go and pick Sylvester up, he's coming to the airport with me to get Ralph. Do you want to come?" She raised an eyebrow. "It would give you a chance to talk to Sly."

She was good, Walter thought. Sylvester would be trapped in the car with him. He'd have no choice but to listen. "That's very devious Paige. Well done."

"I think "expedient" has a better ring to it." She said, smirking as she stood.

"Devious. Definitely. Or cunning." Walter grabbed his phone and keys and followed Paige down the stairs as she giggled. "How about wily? Or maybe even Machiavellian."

"Walter!" she cried, her laughter echoing around the garage as they left. "All this flattery will make me blush." she winked at him as she climbed into the car. "But you forgot sneaky."

Walter grinned and climbed in beside her feeling lighter than he had in years.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Thank you for reading my little story, I hope you've enjoyed it. I do plan on adding a short epilogue, hopefully, in the next couple of days :)_**

Walter sat nervously in the back seat of the car as they waited for Sylvester.

"Get down, here he comes." Paige murmured.

He obediently slid lower in the seat. "The windows have tinted glass Paige, he…"

"Shush!" she hissed as the passenger door opened. "Hi Sylvester."

"Paige! Hello. How are you today? Excited to see Ralph I'm sure." Sylvester buckled his seat belt and the car slid into traffic.

"I am, I've actually got some really great news for him." She glanced in the rear-view mirror. "You see, Walter…"

"Paige, we agreed we wouldn't talk about that, that…"

Walter leant forward, not wanting to hear whatever epithet Sly was about to spit regarding his character. "Hello Sylvester." He said quietly. "It's good to see you."

Sylvester turned his head sharply, staring, wide eyed. "Paige? Why is Walter in the back seat of your car?"

"Well, the thing is…"

"We aren't talking to Walter, Paige."

"I know, but…"

"He's a…he's a bully!" Sylvester turned away. "And mean." He folded his arms and stared sullenly out of the window.

"Sylvester, Walter just wants the chance to talk to you, I thought the car ride would give you that opportunity. To talk."

"Well I don't want to talk to him." He sulked

"Sylvester…" Paige pleaded.

"Wait a minute." He turned to Paige. "Just how did you two come to hatch this, this…nefarious scheme?" He glanced at each of them and a look of horror crossed his face. "You're back together." He said disbelievingly.

"Sylvester…" Walter tried.

"I can't believe it!"

"Sylvester, Paige and I have done a lot of talking over the last 24 hours, what we have, it's worth fighting for, and I intend to. I think our friendship is worth fighting for too. You're my brother." Walter regarded him steadily, but Sylvester refused to meet his gaze.

"I'm not listening."

"Sly, I'm sorry."

"You called me a big comic book reading boy baby."

"I did, and I'm sorry."

"You said I was using Megan as a crutch!"

"I should not have said that, I apologise."

"You took Florence away from me."

"I did no such thing Sylvester, and you know it." Walter said sternly. He would own and apologise for all his mistakes, but he would not be vilified for something he had not done.

"It sure felt like it."

Walter rubbed a hand over his face. "Sylvester, I could no more have made Florence care about me than I could have…" He tried to think of something as equally impossible. "stopped Toby from talking. I made a mistake. How long do I have to pay for it?"

Paige opened her mouth to speak but Walter caught her eye in the mirror and shook his head, no. Sylvester needed to digest his apology. They travelled along in silence and Walter watched as Sylvester wrestled with himself, wringing his hands and fidgeting in the seat. Eventually he sighed.

"People say suffering is good for the soul Walter." and Walter knew; it was going to be OK.

"And have I suffered enough yet Sly?"

"Maybe. I'll need to think about it."

Walter smiled hopefully at Paige. "Understood." He raised his fist and Sylvester bumped it gently.

"That didn't go too badly." Paige whispered linking her arm through his as they waited for Ralph.

"Thanks to your, what did Sylvester call it? nefarious scheme? I'm somewhat put out that I didn't think of that one myself." He chuckled.

Sylvester began waiving madly. "Ralph! Ralph, over here!"

Walter laced his fingers with Paige's and looked at her, his expression anxious. "Do you think, do you think he'll be happy…about us?" He'd wanted to fight him the last time.

"He'll be happy because I'm happy. Don't worry. He loves you too."

Walter nodded and swallowed. "OK."

Ralph wheeled his small carry-on bag over to them. "Hi sweetie." Paige hugged him. "How was your weekend? Did you have a good time?"

"It was fine, how about you?" He nodded at Walter. "Are you two back together again?"

"We are. Are you going to be OK with that?"

"Just make it stick this time. The stress is killing me."

He walked away with Sylvester, the two of them chunnering about a programme Ralph wanted to design to help Drew with his baseball team.

"I guess we better make it stick then." Walter said, dropping a kiss on her mouth.

"I guess so."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Epiolgue**_

"Paige?" Walter shouted as he jogged up the ramp. "Are there any more boxes?"

"No, that's everything." She sighed, looking around the empty space. "I'm going to miss this place."

"You are?" Walter chuckled. "The smell of grease, the exhaust fumes, the chemical spills not to mention the complete lack of privacy."

"OK, so I won't miss _everything" _she laughed. "But there are a lot of happy memories here."

Walter slipped his arms around her vastly expanded waistline and kissed her temple. "We'll make new ones. Lots of them." A tiny foot issued a sharp kick to his ribs and Walter drew back. He placed a hand against her swollen abdomen and the baby kicked again. "See? She agrees with me."

"_Uncle Walt, Uncle Walt!_" the imperious tones of Happy and Toby's three-year-old daughter Ava rang out, her tiny footsteps clanging on the metal stairs as she stomped her way up to them. "Uncle Walt! Look!" she shouted as she barrelled over.

Walter bent down and hoisted her into his arms. "Hi sweetheart, what have you got?"

"Look!" she thrust a hand into his face brandishing a small brass tube. "I got my own telscope, just like yours!"

"Wow." Water exclaimed, suitably impressed. "That's amazing. We can look at the stars together." Once upon a time he would have launched into a lecture about how it was, in fact, a spyglass and not at all like his high-powered _telescope_ (not telscope), but he'd changed. Quite a lot.

"Can we do it now?" she pleaded.

Walter laughed and put her down. "No, we have to wait until it gets dark."

"Ava?" Toby called. "Where did you get to you little rapscallion?"

"She's up here, she's fine."

Ava extended the glass and began searching the loft to see what interesting things she could find.

"Man, she is as slippery as Cabe's hair in the morning. Ava Quinn-Curtis, what have I told you about running off young lady?"

Ava looked at him through the lens. "That your heart can't take it and I shouldn't do it."

"That is correct, don't run away from Daddy, he can't move as fast as he used to."

"Daddy?"

"Yes, my little sugarplum?"

"I think Auntie Paige has done a whoopsy."

Walter and Toby turned to look at Paige and then down to the floor and the puddle she was standing in.

"That's not a whoopsy sweetheart, that's the end of life as we know it." He took her hand. "Let's go find Mommy. Paige, I'll be right back."

"But, you're not due for another week!" Walter said, horrified.

"Walter, relax, everything is fine. Now, I am going to take a quick shower, while I do, clean up the mess and find me a comfortable change of clothes." She was using her nerd wrangling voice, he obeyed without question. When she emerged from the shower, he had everything ready for her just as instructed.

"Cabe is in the car, your bag is in the trunk." He helped her pull a T-shirt on and step into a pair of loose sweatpants. "Toby is just outside and Happy is calling Ralph and Sylvester. Ava is using her spyglass to look for the stork." He smiled. "She needed something to do."

"Walter, we've got plenty…" Her face suddenly drained of colour and she gripped his arm painfully, gasping as she was hit with a contraction.

"Toby!" Walter called in terror. If anything happened to her…

"Paige? How are we doing in here?"

"I'm fine, contractions are about 11 minutes apart I'd guess."

"OK then, let's get this show on the road!"

They helped her down the stairs, despite her protestations, and bundled her into the car. Another contraction hit.

"Paige, I'd say that we've jumped to around 5 minutes now, we need to get you to the hospital. Unless you want me to deliver this baby?"

"Cabe put the siren on." She panted. "There is no way Toby is looking at my gooty!"

Two hours later Walter sat on the bed, his arm around a tired Paige, a besotted look on his face as he gazed at his infant daughter.

"She's beautiful." He whispered. He kissed mother and daughter in turn. "Thank you, Paige."

"Walter, what if she's just…normal? There's no guarantee she'll have an IQ like yours."

"We have more than enough genius to go around, we need a bit more normal. All that matters is we love her, and she never feels otherwise."

There was a knock at the door and Ralph poked his head in. "Can we come in?"

Paige nodded, teary eyed. "Come meet your sister." Ralph pushed the door open and came in followed closely by the rest of the team.

"So, what are you calling the newest member of the Scorpion family?" Cabe asked as he took his turn holding her.

"I was thinking Megan." Paige said, her eyes on Walter. "What do you think?"

"It's perfect." He kissed her again. "I love you Paige."

"Reciprocated." She smiled.


End file.
